scholarly journals Rape, inequality and the criminal justice response in England: The importance of age and gender

2019 ◽  
pp. 174889581986309
Author(s):  
Sarah-Jane Lilley Walker ◽  
Marianne Hester ◽  
Duncan McPhee ◽  
Demi Patsios ◽  
Anneleise Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Minority Ethnic Group ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Criminal Justice Response

This article draws upon quantitative and content analysis of 585 reports of rape recorded within two police force areas in England in 2010 and in 2014 tracking individual incidents to eventual outcome to examine the impact, if any, of intersecting inequalities on trajectories of rape cases reported to police. The data were collected as part of the wider Economic and Social Research Council funded Justice, Inequality and Gender-Based Violence research project which examined victim-survivor experiences and perspectives on justice. Building on existing distinctions between types of rape case based on the relationship between victim-survivor and accused, the results suggest age and gender are significant factors in how sexual violence, and the criminal justice system, is experienced. While younger women and girls were disproportionately affected by certain types of sexual violence case and more likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system compared to men and older women, they were not necessarily more likely to achieve a conviction. The findings also confirm that some of the most vulnerable victims-survivors of sexual violence, especially those with poor mental health, are still not achieving criminal justice. Victims-survivors from Black and minority ethnic group or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer groups are underrepresented within the criminal justice system, implying these groups are not seeking a criminal justice response in the same way as ‘white’ heterosexual victims-survivors.

Estimating Risks of Arrest and Criminal Populations: Regression Adjustments to Capture–Recapture Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (13) ◽  
pp. 1767-1797
Author(s):  
Martin Bouchard ◽  
Carlo Morselli ◽  
Mitch Macdonald ◽  
Owen Gallupe ◽  
Sheldon Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Offense Type ◽  
Visible Part ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Official Data

The size of criminal populations is unknown, and policy decisions are typically based only on the number of offenses and offenders that come to the attention of the criminal justice system. However, the size of criminal populations may follow different trends than what is observed in official data. We use a regression-adjusted capture–recapture model to estimate the number of people at risk of arrest for offenses involving amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) from arrests and rearrests occurring in Quebec, Canada, controlling for year of first arrest, age, and gender. The 4,989 individuals arrested were the visible part of an estimated 42,541 [36,936, 48,145] individuals otherwise at risk of arrest (12%). Additional results show that trends in criminal populations and risks of arrest vary across offense type and drug classifications.

scholarly journals Seeking Justice and Redress for Victim-Survivors of Image-Based Sexual Abuse

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Rackley ◽  
Clare McGlynn ◽  
Kelly Johnson ◽  
Nicola Henry ◽  
Nicola Gavey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Image Based Sexual Abuse

AbstractDespite apparent political concern and action—often fuelled by high-profile cases and campaigns—legislative and institutional responses to image-based sexual abuse in the UK have been ad hoc, piecemeal and inconsistent. In practice, victim-survivors are being consistently failed: by the law, by the police and criminal justice system, by traditional and social media, website operators, and by their employers, universities and schools. Drawing on data from the first multi-jurisdictional study of the nature and harms of, and legal/policy responses to, image-based sexual abuse, this article argues for a new joined-up approach that supports victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse to ‘reclaim control’. It argues for a comprehensive, multi-layered, multi-institutional and multi-agency response, led by a government- and industry-funded online or e-safety organisation, which not only recognises the diversity of victim-survivor experiences and the intersection of image-based sexual abuse with other forms of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination, but which also enables victim-survivors to reclaim control within and beyond the criminal justice system.

scholarly journals Me Too? The Invisible Older Victims of Sexual Violence

2020 ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Ruthy Lowenstein Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Legal Research

A review of legal research on violence against women and elder abuse reveals a disturbing picture. There is hardly any American legal research examining sexual abuse of older women and its conceptualization in legal literature and treatment in the legal system. This Article attempts to fill the abovementioned gap and to bring the hidden issue of sexual violence against older women to light. Scholars writing on rape, violence against women, and elder abuse tend to analyze age and gendered sexual violence separately from each other, without accounting for their interplay. This Article proposes a conceptual framework of sexual abuse of older women that integrates age and gender in the analysis. To achieve this end, this Article examines 109 publicly available American cases involving sexual violence against women over the age of 60, between the years 2000 and 2018, which are based on a search of 1,308 American cases. Based on this new empirical database, this Article offers an opportunity for analyzing the social and legal “taboo” regarding sexual abuse of older women. Despite findings indicating that sexual abuse of older women (and older people in general) is a significant issue creating serious consequences for victims, the Article shows that legal actors, social workers, health professionals, family members, and society miss its signs. Sexual abuse of older women is being noticed and treated by the criminal justice system only when it reflects a “real rape” 1 scenario. The obstacles to effective prosecution and to full access to the criminal justice system are distinctive in the case of older victims because of the effect of age, the way age shapes the experience of older victims of sexual violence, the effects of sexual violence on the victims, and its interplay with gender. Although sexual violence against older women is a form of elder abuse, it should be viewed separately from other forms of elder abuse and should be understood as part of a wider context of gender-based violence. There is a need for a holistic approach to sexual violence of older women, which perceives the sexual violence as a unique phenomenon and provides older women with legal and social mechanisms that fit their needs and experience both as women and elderly people.

scholarly journals Investigating the Impact of Jury Sentencing Recommendations Using Procedural Justice Theory

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianni Ribeiro ◽  
Emma Antrobus
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Frustration Effect ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Justice Theory ◽  
Perceptions Of Fairness ◽  
Sentencing Recommendations ◽  
The Impact

Public confidence in the criminal justice system is critical for the system to function effectively. Two studies investigated the impact of jury sentencing recommendations on public confidence using procedural justice theory. The first study (N = 80) manipulated the presence of jury involvement in sentencing (voice present versus voice absent) and the punitiveness of the minimum non-parole period (more punitive versus less punitive) to examine whether giving juries a “voice”—a key element of procedural justice—would increase public confidence in the courts, as well as perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. Contrary to predictions, results revealed that a more punitive sentence led to increased perceptions of legitimacy, which was associated with higher confidence. The second study (N = 60) examined whether manipulating the Judge’s agreement with the jury’s recommendation—as well as the Judge’s reason for disagreement—would elicit the “frustration effect,” leading to a decrease in confidence and perceptions of fairness and legitimacy. There was no evidence to suggest that the frustration effect was present. Results of both studies could suggest that jury sentencing recommendations may not effectively increase public confidence and perceptions of fairness and legitimacy in the courts, however alternate explanations are discussed.

scholarly journals Kijibashik: Turn it Around

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tenzin Butsang ◽  
Flora Matheson ◽  
Jerry Flores ◽  
Angela Mashford-Pringle
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Indigenous Women ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Critical Gap ◽  
Federal Prisons ◽  
The Impact

Over the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of incarcerated Indigenous women within Canada’s federal prisons. More than half of these women also identify as single mothers of multiple children, extending the scope of incarceration’s impact across generations. While maternal incarceration has been shown to contribute to a myriad of issues in children, including mental illness and increased mortality, there are few qualitative studies where previously incarcerated Indigenous women have been asked directly about the impact of incarceration on their wellbeing and mothering. This project will utilize a community-based research methodology that centers the voices of previously incarcerated Indigenous mothers by examining the commonalities and distinctions in their lived experiences. We will (1) identify the mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and relational implications of incarceration for Indigenous mothers, (2) explore Indigenous concepts of motherhood and kinship, (3) identify the unique needs of this population in the criminal justice system, and (4) inform new and existing programs and services directed towards Indigenous mothers involved in the criminal justice system. Semi-structured individual interviews with previously incarcerated Indigenous mothers and Sharing Circles (focus groups) with key stakeholders, including Elders, Healers, and community partners involved in the criminal justice field will form the core knowledge for the project. This project will address a critical gap in public health research concerning the wellbeing of marginalized and incarcerated individuals and contribute significantly to our understanding of the experiences of Indigenous women in the criminal justice system. Through a collaborative partnership with several key Indigenous-centred organizations, the knowledge generated will be used to inform and develop decarceration programming and supports for previously incarcerated Indigenous mothers, establishing concrete measures to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous women in the Canadian criminal justice system, now and into the future.

Sex Panic and Denial

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-482
Author(s):  
Corey Rayburn Yung
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
American Culture ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Goal ◽  
Residency Restrictions

The American criminal justice system regarding sex is not just logically incoherent, it is also often morally bankrupt because it remains unexamined and poorly understood. This Article contends that there are actually common roots underlying the seemingly oppositional forces of social panic and denial, which explain why the United States has an endemic sexual violence problem. Both panic and denial reinforce the implicit, and sometimes explicit, desire to avoid substantive engagement with socially contentious issues related to sex. The use of residency restrictions and civil commitment fit the modern social goal of putting sex offenders out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Yet, those same desires also explain America’s unwillingness to believe victims of sexual violence and police failure to properly investigate criminal complaints. In this way, sex panic dovetails with sex denial—in both instances, American culture only permits a limited discussion and understanding of sex and sexual violence. The result is that our nation fails to take sex crime complaints seriously while overreacting to the few convictions that emerge from the hostile criminal justice system.

Assessing the Impact of State Human Trafficking Legislation on Criminal Justice System Outcomes

Law & Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-197
Author(s):  
Amy Farrell ◽  
Vanessa Bouché ◽  
Dana Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The Impact

An Application of Multi-Agent Simulation to Policy Appraisal in the Criminal Justice System

2011 ◽  
pp. 228-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seán Boyle ◽  
Stephen Guerin ◽  
Daniel Kunkle
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Policy Appraisal ◽  
Agent Simulation ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Strategic Policy ◽  
The Impact

This chapter reports on a multi-agent approach to the construction of a model of the English criminal justice system. The approach is an integration of model-building with ways of enabling people to engage in strategic policy making and take into account the complex interactions of the criminal justice system. From the workings of the police to court procedures to prisons, decisions in one area of the criminal justice system can be crucial in determining what happens in another area. The purpose was to allow assessment of the impact across the whole justice system of a variety of policies.

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